Anyone who has ever won a championship at any level knows what an amazing feeling it is and knows all of the hard work that goes into reaching that pinnacle. For me, this Superbowl run in particular would stand out as something very special. Not only would winning Superbowl XXX mark my fifth PFL Superbowl title, but I would finally get the chance to do it with my real life favorite team the Pittsburgh Steelers. Another factor that would make winning Superbowl XXX extra special was doing it against one of the most successful and highly respected coaches in PFL history, Omari Smith. Growing up I was a diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan. I spent many seasons in the PFL as the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions waiting for the opportunity to coach the Steelers. If the day ever came that I would have the opportunity to coach the Steelers it would be nothing less than a dream come true. As fate would have it at the end of PFL Season XXVIIII, the Pittsburgh Steelers ownership felt it was time to move on from long time coach Mike Ryan who needed a fresh start. I was the head coach of the Detroit Lions at the time and had a clause in my contract that should an opportunity to coach the Pittsburgh Steelers present itself that I would be allowed to pursue the job if the proper compensation were offered. I had already won a championship in my first season coaching the Lions so I felt I had done my duty to the city. The Detroit Lions ownership honored their promise and made a trade sending me to Pittsburgh to be the head coach there while bringing in Coach Ryan to be their new coach.

As I began my tenure as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers during PFL Season XXX, I began a mass restructure of the roster. I felt it was a long shot to pursue a championship in my first year as head coach so I began the process of rebuilding. My strengths had always been my hardnosed defensive coaching style combined with a great running game and efficient passing attack so I decided to bring in players that fit that style. I was instantly pleased with the amount of talent already on the roster combined with the new players I brought in via the draft, free agency and trades. I felt that I needed to shake up the roster in order to push the current players and heighten expectations. As season XXX kicked off, to most people’s amazement the Steelers went on an amazing twelve game win streak to open the season. The fans were ecstatic and of course no one expected this amount of success in my first season as head coach. The Steelers went on to win the division and finish the season 13-2-1. That record gave the Steelers home field advantage throughout the playoffs, the number one seed and a week one bye. After the bye week, the Steelers first opponent in the playoffs would be the Buffalo Bills led by their All Pro Quarterback Matthew Hunter and Head Coach Kenneth Washington. The Bills had a record setting regular season with QB Hunter leading an unprecedented pass attack combined with the defensive genius of Coach Washington. The Steelers and Bills met during week 2 of the regular season in which Coach Washington and the Bills fell to the Steelers 12-7. Being that the regular season contest was so close we knew that this playoff game would be huge. During the playoff matchup the Steelers defense came to play and the Steelers ran away with the contest winning 39-6. The following playoff game would have the Steelers facing another old rival in Coach Bill Shamnowski and his Houston Texans. These two coaches faced off in week 7 with the Steelers barely pulling out a 23-21 win. Coaches Hatzis and Shamnowski had a history of always playing games down to the wire and the AFC Championship game would be no different. The Steelers were able to pull out a narrow victory winning 23-20 and were now headed to Superbowl XXX. I had to pinch myself at this point and ask, “Is this really happening”? I had the team of my dreams, was in my first season as head coach and had a chance to play in the Superbowl. It didn’t get any better than this or so I thought…

At this point in the story you may be thinking, okay you made it this far so no problem, go out there and win the Superbowl with your favorite team. The only problem was the opposing coach in Superbowl XXX would be none other than Omari Smith. Coach Smith was the coach of the Green Bay Packers who were defending back to back Superbowl champions. Coach Smith was heralded as one of the finest coaches to ever wear a headset in the PFL. Not only were coach Smith and I huge rivals, but also great friends. I knew that this Superbowl unlike any other, would have a huge impact on my legacy. Winning Superbowl XXX would mean a fifth Superbowl title and a Superbowl win with three different teams in the PFL, both of which feats had never been done by any coach before me. A Superbowl loss however, would mean that I had made it this far with my favorite team, only to lose in the biggest game of the year to one of my biggest rivals and greatest coaches in the league. If I were to lose Superbowl XXX Coach Smith would become the first and only coach in PFL history to win three championships in a row. In an epic Superbowl XXX the Steelers defense which had come through all season long would play an outstanding game on the biggest stage and I would be carried off the field with tears streaming down my face after a 26-20 victory!!!

Now that the offseason is in the books and the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise is gearing up for PFL Season XXX let's take a look at the transition of the team under new head coach Jimmy Hatzis. We will take an in depth look at each position, who has come and gone and the starters this year.

In summary no huge change here as the new management felt that Lindley has a lot of upside, is young and just needs a better supporting cast to really shine.

Halfbacks:HB Montee Ball (A former Philadelphia Eagles 1st round draft pick brought in through a blockbuster trade with the Eagles to be the day one starter)
HB Ernie Rose (Brought in via free agency to back up Ball)
HB Matt Asiata (Brought in via trade with the Miami Dolphins)

HB's who have moved on - Charlie Peter (Traded to the Miami Dolphins), Germane Odrick (Traded to the Indianapolis Colts), Tim Biakabatuka (Traded to the Kansas City Chiefs) and Tre Mason (Traded to the Kansas City Chiefs)

In summary the organization scrapped every halfback on the roster and brought in fresh, younger and faster halfbacks. We feel that Montee Ball can hopefully turn out to be our version of the Jerome Bettis trade. Bring in a halfback that was not living up to his potential and hopefully turn him into a pro bowler.

Fullbacks:FB Peyton Hillis (Brought in via free agency to be the starter)

FB's who have moved on - Frank Summers (Released)

In summary there weren't any fullbacks in the draft and not much in free agency so we brought in a tough veteran and plan on looking for a fullback in the future.

Wide Receivers:WR Cecil Shorts III (Remains the #1 WR as his career begins winding down)
WR David Cook (The only player to make it over from the coaches old team steps in as the #2 WR)
WR Ryan Swope (Taken in free agency with the hopes he can grow in the system)
WR Junior Hemingway (Former 1st round draft pick that has not lived up to his potential who remains from the old roster and is currently 4th on the depth chart)
WR Denard Robinson (Former 3rd round draft pick that has not lived up to his potential who remains from the old roster and is currently 5th on the depth chart)

In summary this is one of the biggest positions of need but due to trading draft picks, a weak free agency market and scarce trade options the Steelers with have to go with little known and young WR's until we can build up the core

Tight Ends:TE Clive Walford (Drafted to be the day one starter with loads of potential)
TE Zach Ertz (Former 2nd round draft pick that has not lived up to his potential who remains from the old roster and is a solid backup)

TE's who have moved on - Travis Beckum (Released)

In summary this was another position that needed youth and a playmaker which is exactly why we drafted Walford

Left Tackles:LT Dean Baker (Former 2nd round draft pick that remains from the old roster and who is young with upside and will be the day one starter at LT)

LT's who have moved on - Max Starks (Retired)

In Summary we have an if it ain't broke don't fix it mentality and Baker can be a future stud if he plays to his potential

Left Guards:LG Jonathan Cooper (Former 1st round draft pick that remains from the old roster and who is young with upside and will be the day one starter at LG)

LG's who have moved on - Chris Kemoeatu (Released)

In Summary we have an if it ain't broke don't fix it mentality and Cooper was a former 1st round draft pick for a reason so he remains the starter

Centers:C Maurkice Pouncey (An original Steeler from the starting rosters and a monster so he remains the starter)
C Ty Joyce (Former 3rd round draft pick who keeps his job backing up one of the best in the business)

In summary this was our strongest line position and remains that way with no need to change anything

Right Guards:RG Benjamin Ijalana (Remains from the old roster and maintains his starting position)
RG Josh Harris (Brought in via free agency to be a backup)
RG Hugh Thornton (Brought in via free agency to be a backup)

RG's who have moved on - Jason Pinkston (Released)

In summary this position was also very strong and no changes were made except bringing in better backups

Right Tackles:RT Taylor Lewan (Former 2nd round draft pick from the old roster who is young and has unlimited potential and remains the starter)
RT Bobby Massie (Brought in via free agency to be a backup)
RT Tom Compton (Brought in via free agency to be a backup)

RT's who have moved on - Willie Colon (Released)

In summary the old Steelers coach wisely used high draft picks on offensive linemen so it's being left alone to continue to grow

Left Ends:LE Robert Diaz (Another Philadelphia Eagles former 1st round draft pick brought in via a blockbuster trade with the Eagles. Although he demands a high salary, if he plays to his potential the sky is the limit. Obviously he is the day one starter)
LE Horace Swain (Left behind from the old roster and is buried on the depth chart amongst the backups)

In summary the old coach liked stronger defensive linemen and the new regime wants speed so there had to be a major shake up at both defensive end spots

Right Ends:RE Andre Branch (A former San Diego Chargers 1st round draft pick acquired via trade with the Chargers and who will be the day one starter)
RE Everette Brown (Acquired via trade with the Carolina Panthers and will probably be the best non starter on the roster)
RE Duane Nelson (Former 2nd round draft pick left behind from the old roster who is buried on the depth chart amongst the backups)

RE's who have moved on - Ziggy Hood (Released) and Cassius Marsh (Traded to Chargers)

In summary we could not pass up on having a chance to trade for two former 1st round draft picks at both DE positions who are both still younger with a lot of upside

DT's who have moved on - Dre Dixon (Traded to Dolphins), Ty Stone (Traded to Falcons) and Ahytba Rubin (Released)

In summary this is the weakest spot on the defense and will need to be addressed as a 1st priority going into the future

Left Outside Linebackers:LOLB Kris Snow (Former 4th round draft pick acquired via trade with the Kansas City Chiefs and who will be the day one starter so hopefully he can play at a high level)
LOLB LaMarr Woodley (Another original Steeler whose best days are unfortunately way behind him)

LOLB's who have moved on - Thaddeus Gibson (Released) and Rashard Hartley (Traded to Chiefs)

In summary outside linebacker was this teams second most dire position of need but as the Steelers reload we will use journeymen to fill the need

Middle Linebackers:MLB Craig Robertson (Former 1st round draft pick who has developed into a stud and will man the middle like always)
MLB Rashard McClendon (Former 2nd round draft pick who has plenty of upside and will play side by side with Robertson in our 3-4 defense)
MLB Arthur Brown (Acquired via free agency as a backup)

MLB's who have moved on - Jon Beason (Released) and Lamin Barrow (Traded to Cardinals)

In summary this was one of the stronger positions on defense and needed absolutely no tweaking other than bringing in a backup

Right Outside Linebackers:ROLB Jelani Jenkins (Former 3rd round draft pick acquired via trade with the Chiefs and who is the day one starter)
ROLB Chris Griffith (Acquired via free agency as a backup)
ROLB Jason Worilds (Another original Steeler whose best days are unfortunately way behind him)

ROLB's who have moved on - Lonnie Knight (Traded to Dolphins)

In summary outside linebacker was this teams second most dire position of need but as the Steelers reload we will use journeymen to fill the need

Cornerbacks:CB Josh Robinson (Former 1st round draft pick from the old roster and will remain our #1 CB)
CB Ken Evans (Our only holdout whom we signed to a one year deal to shore up the other side of the field until youth can be brought in)
CB Larry Spires (Former 1st round draft pick from the old roster who will play nickel for us)
CB Jerome Murphy (Acquired via free agency)

CB's who have moved on - Walter McFadden (Released)

In summary the cornerbacks on this team are a good mixture of youth and veteran leadership so this position has no sense of urgency in replacing

Free Safeties:FS DeJuan Cannon (Former 1st round draft pick from the old roster and an up and coming safety in the league)
FS John Jackson (Acquired in free agency as a backup)

FS's who have moved on - Chris Culliver (Released)

In summary the youth and potential here is very nice and both safety positions should be secured for years to come

Strong Safeties:SS Deone Bucannon (Former 1st round draft pick from the old team and a stud for sure who is the remaining starter)
SS Kelcie McCray (Brought in via free agency as a backup)

SS's who have moved on - Freddie Burton (Traded to Eagles)

In summary as with the free safeties this position was strong and we intend to keep it that way by not messing with it

Kickers:K Courtney Smelley (Brought in via free agency because of his insanely strong leg. He will be the starter as long as he can keep them between the uprights)
K Josh Jasper (Remains from the old team but lost his job to the newcomer with the outstanding leg strength)

In summary we felt like we wanted a kicker that could win big games from long distances if he needed to and also pin teams back with touchbacks from time to time so we went with a younger more powerful kicker

Punters:P Daniel Sepulveda (Another original Steeler who will retain his job despite his age because he is still performing at a high level)
P D'Vontrey Wilson (Former 4th round draft pick from the old roster who isn't a very special player so he won't crack the starting lineup)

In summary punter will be addressed in the future do to age but it isn't a huge concern at the moment

The Pittsburgh Steelers organization made a huge announcement this week. According to sources the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired long time PFL coach Jimmy Hatzis. Coach Hatzis replaced an icon in Pittsburgh in head coach Mike Ryan who set a standard for winning division titles in his tenure in Pittsburgh. Coach Ryan set a franchise record by winning an unheralded nine consecutive division titles en route to winning a total of ten division titles during his tenure. Coach Ryan also won two AFC Championships and one PFL Super Bowl. Sources stated that the Detroit Lions made coach Ryan a very lucrative offer and gave him total control over football operations. Coach Ryan felt it was time for a move and saw Detroit as the perfect landing spot.

The Steelers new head coach comes with a decent resume himself winning four PFL Super Bowls, earning a spot in the PFL Hall of Fame and currently owns the highest winning percentage amongst active coaches in the league. Coach Hatzis knows that none of that matters now. This was the job opportunity of a lifetime with Coach Hatzis stating that he grew up a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan and could not pass up the opportunity to be the head coach of such a storied franchise. Coach Hatzis is very excited to get started and has been very active reaching out to fellow coaches attempting to make his mark with a blockbuster trade or two.

PFL Season XXX promises to be an interesting year for the Pittsburgh Steelers as coaching philosophies, personnel on the field and the front office should be changing drastically from here on forward. Coach Hatzis promised Steelers fans that he would do his best to move the Steelers in the right direction and keep the winning tradition alive and well.

In a season that started promising has totally turned into the ugliest thing I've ever seen...A plethora of dropped passes ...crazy Madden luck...or should I say bad luck but this last game trumps them all...Leading the Bengal 20 to 16 with about 40 seconds to go the Steelers would run on 3rd down and then clock would run out to break a losing streak...but wait...A Bengal player gets hurt and even though he had no timeouts they stopped the clock meaning Steelers would have to punt. Bengal get ball around the 20 and throw a pass to a blanketed Jones who miraculously makes catch at 42 yard line...One last play ...Bradford throws a bomb to Toon who has 3 defenders on him .All 3 defenders get their hands on the ball and the last one tips it right to Toon in the end zone for a 58 yard TD with 1 second left...sums up my season. ...hopefully Madden will be on my side next season.

The Steelers would host the Browns in an opening day AFC North battle. Steelers would grab the early lead driving down the field and ending with a Rothlisberger TD pass to Steve Breaston for a 7-0 lead. Steelers would shut down the Browns offense and get the ball back and start driving down field only to see Ben throw a bad pass to CB Joe Haden who would race 58 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. Steelers would again drive down the field only to see Ben throw another bad pass right to Joe Haden who this time would go 80 yards for another Browns defensive TD. At halftime despite leading in total yards 279-7 the Steelers trailed 14-7. Steelers would drive down field again but settle for a FG to cut the margin to 14-10. Another defensive stop would get the ball back for the Steelers only to see Ben throw another bad pass this time to MLB David Harris who would go 31 yards for the Browns 3rd defensive touchdown of the game and a 21-10 lead. After a defensive stop the Browns would get the ball back and actually muster a little offense as Cutler rolling out to his right would find a well covered Josh Morgan but lay it in there for a 40 yard completion. Toby Gerhart would later punch it in for a commanding 28-10 Browns lead. Coach Mike had seen enough and figured this game was lost so give some young guys a chance. Ryan Lindley would enter the game and immediately started throwing darts all over the field to the likes of Shorts,Hemingway and Ryan. The defense continued their stellar effort .Ryan Lindley led 3 long touchdown drives in the 4th quarter capping it off with a 33 yard touchdown pass to HB Mendenhall for a 31-28 Steelers leads with about two minutes left in the game. Browns would get one last shot but rookie MLB Robertson would step in front of a Cutler pass and make the interception. Steelers would then pound the rock down field ending with a kneel down at the one yard line . Lindley was excellent in relief going 16-25 for 208 yards and 1 TD. Steelers would outgain the Browns 529 to 78 as the defense even with a lot of new young faces played extremely well. Rookie 5th round pick LOLB Rashard Hartley had 4 sacks and had this to say after the game. I know my coach was kind of against the league moving to a 5 round draft but he had a big smile on his face after this game and I personally would like to thank the commish because if not for the extended draft I wouldn't be a Steeler and probably would be an unsigned FA or sitting on some teams bench . Germaine Odrick in his first game back after missing all but 4 games last season had 10 carries for 49 yards including a 22 yard scamper at the end of the game for a first down to give the Steelers the win. The Steelers will host the Colts next week and questions remain on who will be the starting QB . Is this the end for Ben? Will Breaston or Bowe be in the starting lineup? Stay tuned!!!!!

In what would have been a thrilling overtime game the Bills got a break on a 3rd and goal with 28 seconds left getting a roughing the passer call so instead of the field goal unit the offense went back in and was able to punch it in. " Its a terrible way to lose a game but it shouldn't have come to that. We had them on that drive on a 3rd and long and let Kenpachi catch a ball while triple teamed. We make the play there and we don't even probably worry about that call. Hard fought game between two evenly matched teams. Probably if we play 10 times he wins 5 I win 5 ...he just got the one that mattered. Good game bro and GL in the bowl.

The Steelers eked out a win against a very tough well coached Bills fan to go to 11-0. With the score 3-3 approaching halftime Bills Qb Hunter would throw a costly interception which gave the Steelers great field position. They cashed in with a Mendenhall TD run to go in 10-3 at the half. Steelers would go up 17-3 after a brutal run game got them into the redzone then Ben finished it off with a TD reception to Breaston for a 17-3 lead. This is where the Bills offense finally came to life. ON the ensuing drive off a PA pass Hunter would find an open Kenpachi for a 84 yard TD to cut into the lead. Steelers would drive down to the 2 yard line but Bills defense stiffened to force a FG to make it 20-10. Bills would come right back but they would stall and settle for a FG to make it 20-13 . Bills defense would stiffen and the offense continued its hot hand aided by a gutsy PA pass on a 4th and inches . RB Cooper would break a 39 yard TD run to tie the score at 20. Steelers would once again drive down inside the 5 but again would fail to punch it in but settle for a FG for a 23-20 lead. Buffalo would drive down around the 20 yard line and tie the game with a FG. With time running down the Steelers stayed patient and continued to hammer the rock which made the Bills crowd the line . With a run play called but 9 to 10 guys in the box an audible to a pass with Shorts streaking down the field was called. The line blocked the blitz and Shorts ran free down the middle of the field for a 67 yard TD reception and a 30-23 lead. Steelers would go into prevent defense and it almost cost them the lead as a triple covered Kenpachi on the last play of the game caught a 50 yard bomb but was tackled at the 1 yard line as game expired...With the division in the bag the Steelers look forward to next week against the mighty Titans who are playing as well as anybody.

After a disappointing loss last season to the eventual Super Bowl Champions the Steelers did what they could with limited free agent abilities and limited cap room to improve . Going in the passing game would have been thought to be formidable but instead it has been the rushing attack of Rashard Mendenhall and the beat Germaine Odrick. Coach Mike " Not sure why we are being so successful running the ball. The line is creating holes and for the most part the backs have run hard. "The defense as usual is solid despite the sack totals being way down . As teams adjust we adjust is the locker room motto. We are happy to be 4-0 but we have one goal and one goal only. Championships.

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